Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree Program
- Become a Public Health Practitioner
- Full-time – As few as 2 years1
- Part-time – Set your own pace
- All coursework 100 percent online
- Total credit hours: 432
- 1
With year-round, full-time study.
- 2
Provisionally accepted students must complete an additional one credit hour course to meet graduation requirements.
Note: Program/program option availability varies by state/location.
Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree Program Overview
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a generalist graduate degree program designed to prepare students to become public health practitioners who work with communities and populations throughout the world to promote healthy living and prevent community health problems such as disease, poverty, health access disparities and violence. The coursework is interdisciplinary and draws on systems thinking knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines. The minimum number of credit hours required to graduate and earn a Master of Public Health degree is 431 credit hours. A student may expect to complete the MPH degree program in as few as two years with full-time study comprised of one course (three credit hours) per eight-week session or two three credit courses per semester. The last semester includes two classes per session. There are three semesters in a year and the program is six semesters in length. This includes 144 hours of applied practice experience with an accompanying integrative learning experience at the end of the program, after students have completed all core MPH coursework. Students are responsible for identifying locations and preceptors that meet the criteria established by Chamberlain and that support the student’s achievement of the MPH program’s competencies and learning outcomes as defined by the MPH core coursework. Students are assisted in this effort by an applied practice experience manager dedicated to the MPH degree program.
The MPH foundation (core) coursework provides a scientific and practical base for public health practice. This coursework includes: quantitative methods in public health (biostatistics), epidemiology, leadership and emotional intelligence, healthcare policy, community activism and program development, behavioral and social aspects of public health (the social determinants of health), environmental health, cultural competency and health communication. As well as a student readiness course focused around student success and the importance of maintaining self-care throughout their graduate studies, and an additional readiness course for provisionally accepted students focused on professional writing. A two-session applied practice experience opportunity follows the completion of all online coursework, which allows the student to synthesize their overall learning in the practical setting and to contribute to meaningful change in public health outcomes.
The MPH degree program can be applied in a variety of settings and positions. A few examples are administration of private health organizations, social service or public health agencies at the local, state, national and international levels; healthcare organization managers, planners, evaluators or practitioners in community or workplace health promotion programs and/or as an epidemiologist working on cancer surveillance in the pharmaceutical industry. Current and future health professionals in medicine, nursing, dentistry or pharmacy may find the MPH degree to be a value added course of study as it provides these practice professionals with a broader perspective and additional skills to complement their primary discipline.
- 1
Provisionally accepted students must complete an additional one credit hour course to meet graduation requirements.
Master of Public Health (MPH) Graduate Degree Program Outcomes
At the completion of the Chamberlain MPH program, the graduate will be able to:
- Articulate the history and philosophy of the professional discipline of public health relative to its core values, concepts, functions and leadership roles.
- Utilize quantitative methods and epidemiologic tools to assess, monitor and review the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness.
- Apply evidence-based reasoning and health informatics approaches to the process of program planning, development, budgeting, management and evaluation in public health organizations and public health interventions to improve community health outcomes.
- Specify approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
- Apply theoretical constructs of social change, health behavior and social justice in planning public health interventions.
- Develop public health programs and strategies responsive to the diverse cultural values and traditions of the communities being served.
- Practice systems thinking techniques and problem solving to understand and respond to the dynamic interactions among sectors, organizations and public health professionals in improving public health.
- Demonstrate leadership abilities as effective collaborators and coordinators within and across organizations and as members of interdisciplinary and interprofessional teams.
- Communicate public health messages to a variety of audiences using targeted written, mass media and electronic communication and social marketing.
- Apply the ethical, legal, economic, political and regulatory dimensions of healthcare and public health policy to developing, evaluating and advocating for public health policies.
Program Details
Master of Public Health
(Effective May 2021)
Degree: Master of Public Health
Semesters: 6 Full-time
Minimum credit hours required for graduation: 431.
- 1
Required for provisionally accepted students, bringing the minimum credit hour requirement to a total of 44.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MPH Core Courses | ||
| MPH-500 | Introduction to Public Health Systems, Organizations, & Practice | 3 |
| MPH-503 | Advocacy in Public Health Policy and Law | 3 |
| MPH-504 | Cultural Competency and Global Public Health | 3 |
| MPH-505 | Public Health Communication and Behavioral Health Theories | 3 |
| MPH-506 | Environmental Health in Public Health | 3 |
| MPH-507 | Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
| MPH-508 | Leadership and Administration in Public Health Systems | 3 |
| MPH-509 | Community-Based Participatory Research | 3 |
| MPH-515 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Public Health Application I | 3 |
| MPH-516 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Public Health Application II | 3 |
| MPH-598 | Student Success and Self-Care | 1 |
| MPH-599 | Professional Writing 1 | 1 |
| MPH Required Final Courses | ||
| MPH-610 | Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) and Applied Practice Experience (APE) I | 6 |
| MPH-620 | Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) and Applied Practice Experience (APE) II | 6 |
- 1
Required for provisionally accepted students, bringing the minimum credit hour requirement to a total of 44.